MapUSAMiamiMatheson HammockMiami

Matheson Hammock

Florida · Miami-Dade County · Coral Gables

also known as Matheson Hammock Park, Matheson Hammock Park & Beach

Part of Miami →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

flat waterbeginner-friendlymedium crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Nov–May

Months riders and schools name

How windy

20-25 kt

Character: mixed

Room to launch

tight

access rules on record, below

Water

flat

30 °C in summer

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy Dec Jan Feb Mar

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

20 min

Miami International Airport (MIA)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Nearbystraight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Hobie Beach / Windsurfer Beachno page yet
Miami Flatsno page yet
Coconut Groveno page yet
Dinner Key Marina areano page yet

The spot

Matheson Hammock is a Miami-Dade County park on the west side of Biscayne Bay, just south of Coral Gables, with a manmade tide-flushed atoll pool, a beach and a large marina. The riding water is the good part: flat, shallow bay, sheltered in a way the ocean-facing Miami launches are not.

The launch and access

The launch is the problem. It is a small beach, rocky, tight against trees, parked cars, bystanders and the road, and an onshore NE at high tide leaves almost nothing to work with. Winter and spring cold fronts give the 20-25 kt NE-E days; summer is lighter sideshore wind and a big kite. Access is managed rather than open: the kite concession on site sells lessons and passes, parking runs $7 plus tax on weekdays and $10 plus tax at weekends (2026), and older local rules point to a certification and streamer requirement that is unconfirmed for 2026, so ask on the beach before you rig.

Kiteboarding is one of the activities the county allows here. It suits lessons and competent independent freeriders; it is not a wave spot and it is a poor place to teach yourself.

The wind

locals call it cold-front northeasterlies/easterlies and Miami sea breeze

Direction

cross-onNE

Direction to shore

cross-on

Dominant direction

NE, ENE, E, ESE, SE, SSE, S

Kite sizes

67891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

Indicative for 75-85 kg, derived from the documented wind bands with no local quiver survey to check against. The 20-25 knot days behind winter cold fronts are 8-9 m. A 15-18 knot spring afternoon is 10-12 m.Summer sideshore days are light enough that the honest answer is a 12 m with a big board, or a foil.

Character

mixed

Average strength

Typical strength

20-25 kt after winter cold fronts; lighter summer sideshore wind often needs a big kite.

Cleaner than the exposed ocean chop, because Biscayne Bay shelters the riding water. A NE onshore launch behind a cold front is the exception: gusty and hazardous in the tight shore zone.

The season runs October-May, best November-May: NE-E behind the cold fronts, lighter sideshore sessions in summer.

Miami's wind season is November-April, and hurricane season with its afternoon thunderstorms is the other half of the calendar.

There is no long wind record at the park itself; the 8-knot annual mean with 11-knot mean gusts comes from the Virginia Key station 11 km away across the bay, over 2006-2026, and it describes the average day rather than the frontal days you would travel for.

No Matheson-specific closure schedule for kiting exists.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan, riders' month44
Feb, riders' month46
Mar, riders' month69
Apr, riders' month56
May, riders' month44
Jun19
Jul12
Aug25
Sep12
Oct34
Nov, riders' month39
Dec, riders' month42

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Nov, Dec.

11 ktJan22°
11 ktFeb24°
12 ktMar26°
12 ktApr27°
11 ktMay29°
9 ktJun31°
9 ktJul33°
9 ktAug32°
9 ktSep31°
10 ktOct28°
11 ktNov26°
10 ktDec24°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.

Every figure, month by monthForce 4+ · Knots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Force 4+	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	44%	10.9 kt	NW	20.2 °C	22.4 °C
Feb	46%	10.9 kt	E	21.3 °C	23.5 °C
Mar	69%	12 kt	SE	23.3 °C	25.8 °C
Apr	56%	11.7 kt	E	24 °C	26.6 °C
May	44%	10.5 kt	ESE	26.1 °C	29.4 °C
Jun	19%	9.2 kt	SSW	26.5 °C	30.6 °C
Jul	12%	8.7 kt	ESE	28.1 °C	32.5 °C
Aug	25%	9.3 kt	E	27.9 °C	31.8 °C
Sep	12%	8.9 kt	ESE	27.1 °C	31 °C
Oct	34%	10.4 kt	NE	25.2 °C	28.1 °C
Nov	39%	10.5 kt	NE	24.1 °C	25.8 °C
Dec	42%	10.2 kt	NE	21.1 °C	23.5 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · 2022-2024

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

The typical daily max and the direction are columns of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

flat

Standing depth

Shallow Biscayne Bay flats, with broad shallow/waist-deep areas; depth and launch width change with tide.

Tides

Tidal. The nearest station is Dinner Key Marina in Biscayne Bay, about 6 km NNE, and the tide there can differ from what you find at Matheson. The atoll pool flushes naturally on the bay tide.

Temperature

30 °C summer · 22 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 22–33 °C

Wetsuit

Boardshorts/rash vest most of the year; a shorty can be useful during winter cold fronts.

Currents

No kite-specific current information exists. There is tidal flow, since the atoll pool and the bay both flush on the tide.

Conditions

The kiteable water is the Biscayne Bay side, not a wave beach: flat, protected, shallow water with sandy/seagrass or mucky bottom; boat traffic near the marina/channel and mangroves along parts of shore matter for exits. The county beach/atoll pool is a family swimming area with lifeguards on weekends and holidays.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Flat and shallow, so the water is fine for lessons. Independent riding is another matter: the spot rates intermediate, IKO/PASA level-3 style independence is expected, and rocks, trees, cars, bystanders, marina traffic and onshore NE launches are all in play. Advanced riders come for flat-water freeride and foil, not for waves.

The scene

What riders come here for

flat waterfreeridewing foilkite foillight-wind practice

Who it suitsbeginnerlessons

A local Miami flat-water spot with managed access and a concession on the beach. Quieter and more sheltered than the Atlantic side, and limited by a small launch shared with everyone else using the park.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

5 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: tight

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

2 spots nearby

All 2 spots within 40 km are under Nearby

Rescue

No kite rescue. Lifeguards cover the atoll pool and beach at weekends and holidays only, and the pool's own hours shift between summer and winter and can be cut for water quality or wildlife.

The park and marina office is staffed 08:00-17:00 seven days a week and can be reached on 305-665-5475, and a Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office Marine Patrol station sits on site, which is a police presence rather than a boat waiting for kiters. Work out your self-rescue and your downwind exit before you launch.

Launch

Small bayside shore launch next to the atoll pool and the parking area; riders usually walk out into the water to buy themselves space.The beach is small and rocky underfoot, and it is wider and softer at low tide.The sheltered bay water in front of it is roughly half a mile across before you are into open Biscayne Bay.Marina, concessions and SUP/kayak rental are on site, along with a self-service kiosk for kayaks and paddleboards.

Hazards riders report 9 reported

Wind

Thunderstorms, squalls and tropical weather, as anywhere in South Florida; no Matheson-specific thunderstorm protocol exists.

Crowds and zones

Tight launch near rocks, shells, trees, bystanders, road, parked cars and parking lot.
Boat traffic and boat channel/marina area near the riding zone.
County code bans flotation devices in the bathing areas. That is a beach rule, not a kite PFD rule outside the swim zones.

Bottom

Seagrass beds, variable bottom and mangroves limiting exit options.

Waves and currents

NE onshore wind at high tide, when the launch space shrinks and the air goes gusty.

Protected areas and rules

flotation devices banned in the swim/beach area per county code
operating hours can change for water quality/wildlife reasons

Other

Stingrays are reported; sharks and American crocodiles are rare but possible in Biscayne Bay.

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: Miami-Dade County lists kiteboarding among the park's activities. The on-site concession, Adventure Sports USA, charges every rider to ride - $15 for a day pass, $10 if you show paid parking, $200 for an annual pass - and sells lessons (2 h discovery $320, 3 h learn to kite $456, 4 h intermediate $576, 6 h advanced $816, 10 h independent package $1,280), $50 an hour for Cabrinha gear and $45 for IKO certification; supervised hours run $100 and a pro hour $150.

Parking and access

Car parking is $7 plus tax on weekdays and $10 plus tax at weekends and holidays, paid through Pay-By-Phone or ParkMobile or at the office; boat-ramp trailer entry is $20 plus tax Monday-Thursday and $30 plus tax Friday-Sunday and holidays.

Park hours and conditions

Park office hours are 08:00-17:00 daily. Atoll pool and beach summer hours are 09:00-17:30 Monday-Friday and 09:00-18:30 at weekends, winter hours an hour earlier, lifeguards at weekends and holidays, and the county warns hours can change for wildlife, natural disasters or water quality. No pets anywhere in the park. No tents, barbecue grills or open flame in the beach area, and no flotation devices on the beaches under Miami-Dade County Code Chapter 26, Rule 16.

Earlier rules

2010: local rules required Level 3 IKO or PASA certification with a coloured streamer issued at the concession, launching and landing only in the marked zone, a 50 ft buffer from land when launching, a mandatory kite leash, right of way to orange-streamer beginners, weighted or wound-up grounded kites, and no instruction by anyone other than the concession; how much of that is still enforced in 2026 is unconfirmed.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Ask the concession or the local crew before you rig; the pass and certification procedure here has changed more than once.
Skip the NE onshore launch at high tide unless you are happy launching in a tight, gusty slot.
Lower tide reportedly gives more launch width, so time the session around it and expect the shallows to move with the water.
Stay out of the boat channel, the marina traffic and the red buoy areas named in the local rules.
Wear boots: rocks, shells, seagrass and mucky bottom.
Do not count on the lifeguards for kite rescue; they cover the atoll pool and beach at weekends and holidays only.
Eat afterwards at NOMA Beach at Redfish, on site.
Use the free WiFi by the boat docks if you need to work between sessions.
Budget the ride fee as well as the parking: the concession's 2026 line is that everyone pays, $15 a day or $10 with paid parking.
Do not count on the lifeguards for kite rescue; they cover the atoll pool and beach at weekends and holidays only. The marina office, 305-665-5475, is the number that is answered daily 08:00-17:00.
Use the free WiFi by the boat docks if you need to work between sessions; look for the MathesonMarinaGuest network.

Getting there

Airport

Miami International Airport (MIA)

Route

Drive to 9610 Old Cutler Road, Coral Gables/Miami. From MIA one way is 836, then 826/Palmetto, Sunset Drive and Old Cutler Road: about 10 miles and about 20 minutes, traffic depending.

Transfer

20 min

Cost level

high

Staying

Stay in Coral Gables, Coconut Grove, South Miami or broader Miami; the park is just south of Coral Gables, but no on-site lodging exists there.

No-wind days

On site: SUP/kayak rentals, the atoll pool/beach, marina, fishing pier, nature/bike trails, picnic areas, NOMA Beach at Redfish restaurant and Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden nearby. Wider Miami/Coral Gables options are close by.

Photos

FAQ

Is Matheson Hammock suitable for beginners?

The shallow, flat water suits lessons, but independent riding needs intermediate skills because the launch is tight with rocks, trees, cars and boat traffic nearby.

When is the best time to kite?

November through May is the main season, with 20-25 knot NE-E wind common after winter cold fronts.

What is the wind like?

Wind is generally cleaner than the exposed Atlantic side, but NE onshore cold-front sessions can be gusty in the tight shore zone.

Are there rules or fees?

As of 2026, county parking costs $7-10, flotation devices are banned in the swim area, and older rules required IKO/PASA level-3 certification and a streamer to launch.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Adventure Sports USA runs kiteboarding and wing-foil lessons directly at Matheson Hammock Park.

The bigger pictureEverything about Miami

Last updated: August 2026